Cedar Amateur Astronomers May 21 Public Night

Learn more about our early universe as Cedar Amateur Astronomers will host University of Iowa Professor Hai Fu for a public event at 8:30 p.m. on May 21, 2022 at the Eastern Iowa Observatory and Learning Center. 

Every discovery has an untold story. During this CAA public night, Mr. Fu will share with you the story behind the Iowan discovery of the massive cool gas stream that is providing the fuel for star formation to a massive galaxy 11 billion years ago. Here is a nice description of the study from the VICE News article (https://tinyurl.com/gama0913): If you peer into the deep reaches of time and space to glimpse the universe when it was just a few billion years old, you’ll see an ancient era populated by many massive galaxies. Simulations suggest these galactic behemoths must have been fed by cold gas in dark matter filaments—structures that make up the cosmic web that connects galaxies in the universe—but the nature of these gas infusions has remained murky in the absence of direct observations. This system is by far the best evidence for the elusive cosmic filaments that supercharge ancient galaxies with cold gas.  

Weather permitting, after the presentation club volunteers will be operating several large telescopes to view the wonderful Iowa skies. Come early or stay late to visit astronomy displays and exhibits. All ages. Cost is free. This event is in person and on Zoom. Go to cedar-astronomers.org/events for more information.